The Solemn Vow: Do No Harm
by Cubumblebee
Summary: Companionship will only last as long as the server will allow


Waiting in spawn could be a nerve-racking thing. Trying to pass the crawling time was a task to everyone except Medic. She had to make sure her charge was full and needed to center her thoughts on who would be a good candidate to uber. The other classes would spend their moments taunting or harmlessly beating each other with pans or baseball bats. At least one soldier or demo would repeatedly hoist themselves into the air with a barrage of explosions, distracting her with the fanfare of their excitement. All too often they would continuously scream for medic, demanding her attention to be on them instead of her goal. Too much commotion. Ideally she would go to the other side, away from the noise, neglecting the group to charge in peace. It was rare that someone would come with her since the majority of them were so enthralled by the pre-game fooling around.  
One soldier stood still, steadfast, and unblinking, waiting. Medic noticed the unusual display of motionlessness and took her opportunity to stand next to him to charge. Even if he was afk she wouldn't worry about losing her target and missing precious seconds of filling her medi-gun.

The countdown dwindled until the gates unbolted and a stream of all classes emerged from the doors. Anxiously awaiting their arrival, eager for action, RED met them with an extensive storm of gunfire.  
Medic was familiar enough with this scenario to hang back just a little longer. Several times she had been bested before even stepping foot out of spawn and getting a sticky grenade caught under her feet. There didn't seem to be an appropriate way to show the shame she felt for dropping an uber so early in the match. She found a safe place to stay away from potential explosive damage, braced herself, bit her lip, and listened for the sound of the other team's kritzkrieg to cease.  
Only three people remained in the spawn at this point. A scout in the back corner, fresh from a respawn, a sniper peering just beyond the doorway, and the silent soldier she had taken refuge beside to charge earlier.

The cart had moved forward consistently so she knew it would be safe to proceed and met up with the team. She repeatedly turned to watch for any spies she might see as they cloaked. She knew they liked to steal the image of one of her teammates to sneak closer so she was wary of anyone approaching. It seemed the second she let her guard down she was rewarded with a knife in the back. She had made the ubercharge last this long so she had no plans of losing it now.  
As they exited the tunnel she noticed the soldier was with her. She brushed against him quickly to find out if he was solid, an obvious sign of a disguised spy, and relaxed when her body passed through his like a ghost. Medic had started to panic as they neared the first checkpoint knowing at any time a scout could sneak up behind her and kill her quickly with his force of nature. She imagined a sniper waiting just around the bend to catch her lurking behind the cart and take his opportunity to lodge an arrow into her face. Her mind drifted back to an event in the past where a demo, from on top of the ledge, had dropped down and cabered her within moments while the team watched. The memory was humiliating as Medic recalled her death screen had showed the cart rolling over her corpse while the demo took his chances trying to eliminate more of them. Her projection was making the anticipation grueling and it took everything she had not to pop simply out of fear.

Medic was concentrating on the cart; they were so close to the point! Her beam was still on the soldier when he turned behind them and pelted a spy with rockets. The offal gib was satisfying. She hadn't kept close watch and was saved by Soldier's attentiveness.  
She sighed with relief as the piercing ding of the capture bell rang through her ears. Medic was amazed she had survived, uber in tact, and followed the soldier as he went left and up the stairs to the roof. Maybe she could return the favor and save him.

Her fingers hovered over the 'activate charge' button as they met another soldier in the stairwell. She gave her new found interest a chance to eliminate the danger before she reacted too quickly. He had no problems and she smiled, pleased with her choice to follow him. Her health hadn't even been touched due to his quick timing and precise aim. The other soldier had looked clumsy in comparison to hers, wildly firing rockets any way he could, hoping to hit something.

When he breached the doorway to the roof she kept behind him and crouched off to the side. She wasn't sure what crouching would accomplish but she wanted to make herself feel as small as possible to avoid drawing attention to them. She watched the top right of the screen alight with names of the opposing team as she and her soldier brutalized one after another. She revealed herself and popped uber while he easily took down the sentry, the dispenser, and the horrified engineer trying his damndest to fend them off and save his nest. The invulnerability faded and the chunks of RED carcasses stared up at them. "Nice job! We did well!" When he spoke to her she stopped just long enough to notice the sound of the beeping sentry had been replaced by a kick drum beating in her chest. His words made her more happy than the sound of the second chime of their capture. It was all him. She was just a vampire of his talent.

They jumped from the roof and ran together to meet the others at the small ramp. The BLU team moved at a fast rate. The cart was rolling along with speed and Medic was trying to heal the group as they swarmed around the vehicle. It was harder to boost the health of people already using the payload as a dispenser so her uber-charge was being filled at a snail's pace. Medic was glad to be the only one of her class at the moment so she wouldn't be robbed of her charge even more by a parasitic medic taking all of her potential targets at the same time she was trying to work them. She crept along behind everyone and watched as the cart approached point three. Right before the capture the small hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she sensed something was wrong. Medic looked ahead to her soldier. He stayed at the cart to watch if RED was rounding the corner coming towards them to defend. Looked clear! She didn't have time to turn around before her body morphed into a hollow shell of ice, frozen in the position she was in, when the spy dug his weapon into her spine as the 3rd capture rang loudly. The sound of the bell helped the spy slink away unnoticed. She had a perfect view of the enemy on her respawn screen as he retreated, unharmed, into the stairwell to the attic. Granted, her uber meter wasn't near 100 percent, so the loss wasn't profound to the group. She did feel a pang of jealousy missing the capture point, becoming the exact target the spy was going for. Medics were the under-appreciated power of the team and she often felt singled out amongst the crowd to be disposed of first. Now that she was out of the picture everyone else was vulnerable.  
She watched the time tick as the cart sped along towards point 4. Medic loved the mayhem more than the lull; spawn times were excrutiating when you had to wait for them. Frantically clicking through perspectives did not rush the timer along so she tried to take in any rival's location to benefit her when she was able to join her BLU squad.

YOU ARE NOW DEFENDING

Medic took notice of the clock which had become red. Auto-balance? Now? Me? She reanimated in RED's base and adjusted to the new glaring blood color that surrounded her and dyed her uniform, identifying her as the enemy she had just slaughtered. She hurried out of the doors to see the bomb explode as the 4th capture point had been secured. The explosion tossed numerous bodies into the air and littered the floor with ragdolls and chunks of debris. Her departed BLU team had done mercilessly well keeping on track and going through the map with such momentum it left her dispirited when the change occured. Her arms raised in a cowardly stance, unable to defend herself from the onslaught of her former teammates that would trickle in to massacre the remaining REDs. She considered hiding, to avoid being seen, but knew it wouldn't be worth it with the little time she had left before they arrived. She had retreated backwards until she was up against a wall with nowhere else to go.

She recognized him immediately and let out a small whimper. She shocked herself by the feeble sound she made upon seeing him and felt paralyzed as she watched him advance. The soldier's helmet, the rocket launcher, and his demure approach was the same one she had followed and become infatuated with for most of the game. He stood still, steadfast, and unblinking. He barely took notice of her terror as one of his decisive rockets tore through her helpless body and added her to the list of names among the dead.


End file.
